Retrieval And Analysis Of Breast Implants Emphasizing Strength, Durability, And Failure Mechanisms

The environmental durability and useful life of a breast implant is of major concern to both the patient and the plastic surgery community. The influence of complex environmental factors, both chemical and physical effects, on the basic properties of breast implants are discussed in this chapter. A large variety of physical-analytical methods were used to determine what change, if any, occurred in a variety of implants prepared by several different manufactures over several generations of implant development. Implants explanted from patients after implantation periods as long as 32 years were directly compared to available control samples. Explants and controls were investigated by a broad combination of mechanical testing, chemical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy.